Letter: Living the Promise for UR Inclusivity

Dear University of Richmond student body,

Recent articles featured in the Collegian have sparked a dialogue focused on race on the University of Richmond campus. As student leaders, we have been encouraged by the student body's willingness to participate in such an important and socially relevant conversation. Unfortunately, however, we have also been disappointed by the tone of certain comments. Many comments have left members of our community feeling angry, hurt and offended.

During our leadership terms, we have remained committed to President Ayers' Richmond Promise. More particularly, we are dedicated to building and maintaining an open and inclusive campus environment for all students and continue to strive towards the objective outlined in Principle II of the Richmond Promise:

Ensure an open and inclusive campus environment that (a) welcomes and benefits from people of diverse backgrounds (b) encourages the exchange of ideas from diverse perspectives (c) promotes social and academic interaction among people from a broad range of backgrounds (d) promises full access to places and programs, and (e) resists and educates against intolerance and exclusion, so as to prepare students to participate fully in a diverse community.

During the past year, student leaders across all five schools have collaborated to improve student life through creative initiatives, projects and events. Seldom have we taken the time to convene over societal issues, such as racism. Now, we would like to seize this conversation as an opportunity to work toward a more inclusive campus community. In doing so, we will be holding an open dialogue this Thursday, March 25th at 4 p.m. in the Forum. Through this event, we hope to establish and affirm the importance of a civil dialogue regarding recent discussions of race. Furthermore, we seek to create a process of how we, as students, can talk about the social issues that we currently face. We hope that this conversation -- and conversations to come -- will encourage each of us to acknowledge the differences between students' individual experiences and ultimately learn from one another.

In this spirit, we welcome and encourage all comments grounded in personal experiences and personal perspectives on the current topic of racism. In putting action to Principle II, we are opening the door to a more civil dialogue about difficult social issues. This forum is intended to be constructive; we hope that it will serve as a venue of expression grounded in respect. We ask each of you to challenge your own understanding of race and racism by listening to other University of Richmond students and using this campus dialogue to grow as individuals and consequently, make a positive impact throughout your lives.

Please join other students this Thursday, March 25, at 4 p.m. in the Forum.

With respect for one another,

Mike Murray, RCSGA President

Elle Carabetta, WCGA President

Steve Handy, JSGA President

Kevin Grayson, UR Men for Change President

Ra-Twoine Fields, UR Men for Change Vice President

Ryan Buhl, Richmond College HC Chair

Lauren Bunch, Westhampton College HC Chair

Matthew Albertelli, Richmond College JC Chair

Mierka Ross, Westhampton College JC Chair

Amy Newsock, Campus Activities Board President

Tajh Ferguson, Multicultural Student Union President